UGBC Without VP of Diversity and Inclusion at Start of Year

As this new academic year begins at Boston College, so does a brand new administration of the Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC)—Akosua Achampong and Tt King, both MCAS ’18, start this week as the first solely female president and executive vice president of the organization, and have experienced some recent personnel changes.

UGBC is searching for a new vice president of diversity and inclusion, after Josh Frazier, who was selected for the position last year, chose to leave BC; a director of policy for the Council for Students with Disabilities; and a secretary for the SA, due to shifts in positions that occurred over the summer.

On Tuesday evening, Colin Vergilio, CSOM ’19, was unanimously confirmed as the vice president of financial affairs, filling the position that was empty since the SA voted down Achampong and King’s pick for the position in May.

“For the coming year, I really hope to increase transparency with the student body regarding UGBC finances and to work to increase financial literacy both within UGBC and on campus in general,” Vergilio said.

UGBC hopes to increase awareness that a student center is not included in the University’s 10-year plan, a notable absence from the document released on Wednesday. King believes that the more students who voice disapproval of its omission, the more likely it will be included in the plan. She encourages students to email UGBC their concerns and say what they are looking for in a student center.

Apart from personnel issues, Achampong and King have been working to create greater transparency between UGBC and the wider community. All Student Assembly (SA) members will now hold office hours open to the BC community. General meetings and SA meetings will occur on Tuesday evenings rather than the weekend in order to make them more accessible to administrators, and these meetings will potentially be available to view on Facebook Live.

Diversity is another large focus within UGBC this year. Achampong and King have been making small steps toward gender-neutral bathrooms, as signs are in the process of being removed around campus, and they hope to continue advocating for gender identity to be added as a protected class to BC’s Notice of Non-Discrimination.

“We’re so excited because this is everything we’ve advocated for in UGBC. The main pillars we built our campaign are still happening,” King said.

UGBC is also making a continued effort to support students of color on campus. Taraun Frontis, Chair of the AHANA Leadership Council and CSOM ’19, is the primary force behind this effort.

“We are working to emphasize the plus in AHANA+,” he said. “We want to make the community more accessible for all students.”